A new ad from Pantene, part of a series about LGBTQ families, stars a transgender girl and her two moms talking about the power of visibility. It’s a wonderful ad, not only for depicting a trans girl, but also for giving us representation of a queer kid with queer parents.
Ashley and Ellie are two moms raising four kids including Sawyer, “our spunky and creative kiddo,” as Ashley says in this Pantene ad. “Hair has been a big part of her transition.”
“It made me feel good and confident,” Sawyer says, before explaining that their family motto, “Everybody loves everybody,” means “I can be who I am no matter what.”
I love the unequivocal love and support we see here—and I also love that we’re seeing queer parents with a queer kid. The old myth that queer parents “make” their kids queer is false, of course—but for too long, I think, it’s also meant that those queer parents who do have queer kids (and some will, based purely on statistics) have never been well represented for fear of perpetuating this myth. Kudos to Pantene and Family Equality for not giving in to that fear. (For more on “second gen” queer folks, see this episode from Family Equality’s Outspoken Voices podcast.)
The ad is part of a series done in partnership with Family Equality to celebrate #BeautifuLGBTQ families. Watch Sawyer, Ashley, and Ellie’s video below, and see the rest at Family Equality’s site (including another one about Ashley and Ellie’s family that includes their other kids, too). Pantene also partnered with GLAAD in 2019 to create the ad series “Going Home for the Holidays” which featured the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.
After Pantene tweeted this video last week, some people began tweeting harassing and bullying comments about the family, to which the brand in no uncertain terms replied, “We stand with this #BeautifuLGBTQ family & the entire community.”
